HomePesquisaPax Brasiliana? A Study of Brazil’s Foreign Policy Strategy in Moments of Constitutional and Political Crises (1990- 2015)

Overview

This research project analyzes Brazil’s foreign policy in times of constitutional crisis and political instability in Latin America. The goal of this project is to conduct a comparative analysis of Brazil's participation in the management of constitutional crises in Latin America during the governments of Fernando Collor de Mello, Itamar Franco, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff. The research project is, since 2013, developing and analyzing twelve case studies of constitutional crisis and political instability in Latin America. Since then, we have begun to collect and organize interviews of key actors who were involved in these processes, not only in Brazil but also abroad. Interviews and research development will be guided by the following question: how does Brazil react to constitutional and political crises in Latin America since the early 1990s? To understand the role of Brazil in democratic crises in Latin America, we will use the process-tracing method, supported by oral testimony, in order to identify causal mechanisms. The result of this project will contribute to a better understanding of Brazilian contemporary foreign policy.